The invention relates to a planetary wheel transfer transmission for the drive of two vehicle axles of a motor vehicle.
It has been contemplated in German Unexamined Published Patent Application (DE-OS No. 32 12 495) that the planetary gear transmission is disposed axially between the input wheel of the axle offset gear that is penetrated by the input shaft and the locking disk clutch. The input wheel, in a torsionally fixed way, is connected directly with the concentric output shaft leading to an inner central wheel. In this way, the axle offset gear used for driving a power take-off shaft leading to one vehicle axle is located very close to the driving motor or to the speed-change gear flanged onto the driving motor. When the axle offset gear is used in a vehicle type that can be equipped with engines of different sizes, such as 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder in-line engines, a disadvantageous result can attain in unfavorable installing conditions.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved transfer transmission for use in vehicle types that are equipped with engines of different sizes. Another object of the invention is keeping the number of gear parts driven by the engine in the drive train, which is not required for this purpose, as few as possible in the case of the driving of only one vehicle axle.
These and other objects are attained by providing a compact construction that is particularly stout with respect to the main shaft of the gearbox, with a favorable position of the axle offset gear in the direction of the main shaft of the gearbox.
An advantageous introduction is also achieved of the counterbearing forces of the multi-disk clutches into the gearbox, particularly a balance of forces is achieved while, at the same time, pressure is admitted to both axial ring pistons.
The use of axial ring pistons is permitted that "stand vertically" in the gearbox, and that do not have to carry out rotational movements and may, therefore, be sealed off in a particularly effective way. This sealing phenomena has the additional advantage that a central storage means can be used as the pressure source that also supplies other consuming means because of a pump for the compensating of leaks is not required.
When work is carried out on the chassis dynamometer during which the one concerned vehicle axle is disconnected by the axle-connecting multi-disk clutch and is therefore stopped, it is further ensured that no damage will occur from the resulting relative movements between the two multi-disk carriers since these are mutually supported by means of roller bearings.
The advantage is also achieved that, in the case of a single-axle drive, the whole axle offset gear, including the power take-off shaft leading to the disconnected driving axle, are also separated from the engine.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.